The Baltimore Ravens have been mostly quiet this month outside of re-signing Ronnie Stanley and bringing in free agent WR DeAndre Hopkins this offseason, but the NFL Draft is always the final way a team can significantly tweak their roster ahead of the upcoming season.
One recent mock draft scenario sees the Ravens offloading Pro Bowl TE Mark Andrews in an attempt to bolster their offensive line unit entering the 2025 NFL season.
Ravens Acquire G Zion Johnson by Shipping Off TE Mark Andrews to Chargers in Recent Mock Draft Trade Scenario
NFL Draft season is in full force. The Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, and Pro Days are mostly in the books, which has NFL beat writers, insiders, scouts, and draft analysts all pumping out mock drafts on a regular basis.
This includes ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who produced a scenario in his recent mock draft scenario that includes an NFL trade for every team — which included the Ravens acquiring Los Angeles Chargers G Zion Johnson in exchange for Pro Bowl TE Mark Andrews.
Barnwell wrote, “With general manager Joe Hortiz having spent his entire NFL career in Baltimore before joining the Chargers, he is quite familiar with the Ravens’ personnel. He was the team’s director of college scouting in 2018 when they used a third-round pick on Andrews, and the Ravens might be ready to turn the primary tight end job over to Isaiah Likely from the 29-year-old Andrews.”
If this scenario were to come true, then Andrews’ final snap in a Ravens’ uniform would be a crucial drop in a playoff game. Despite Andrews outstanding production over the years, Barnwell believes the move makes sense for Baltimore from a salary cap perspective.
Barnwell added, “The Chargers, meanwhile, have prioritized their offensive line under both the Hortiz and Tom Telesco regimes, but Johnson hasn’t lived up to expectations. The 2022 first-round pick has been average in his career, and there are real questions about whether L.A. will want to pick up his fifth-year option, which would guarantee him $17.6 million in 2026. Andrews is the more prominent player, but Johnson might be equally as desirable given his youth and the recent positional importance of guards.”
The trade would also see the Baltimore Ravens move up five spots in the first round from No. 27 overall to No. 22.
Who Could the Ravens Target in the First Round?
The slight move up the draft board isn’t going to put the Ravens in the market for an elite talent in this draft class, but it could position the organization with a better chance to snag an impact player who happens to fall a bit farther than expected in the first round.
Even if the Ravens acquire Johnson in this scenario, they could double on the interior of the offensive line by selecting Alabama G Tyler Booker to add more horsepower to an elite rushing attack to help pave the way for Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson.
Booker is a human forklift as a run blocker and is fully capable of holding his own in pass protection alongside Tyler Linderbaum.
Additionally, they could elect to simply reset the tight end position by targeting Michigan TE Colston Loveland at No. 22 overall.
Loveland is great receiving tight end prospect who possesses some of the traits that helped make Andrews an elite producer at the position over the last few years. He would be an intriguing value if he is still on the board in this scenario.
